Thanks pixievix (hehe I thought that was a rather Caitlin-esque sort of reaction), Agel15 (I begged her to go to Jim, but she's very stubborn! Yup gotta love Eric, he's very handy to have around!) and Christie (Aww, thankies!) for your reviews!

This is quite a short chapter, but we're getting into the plot a bit more now, so hopefully the next chapter will be longer.

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Eric stood and leant back on the pitchfork he had been using to shovel hay in his father's stable for the last twenty minutes. He raised a hand to his forehead, wiping away the perspiration that had gathered there. He turned his wrist and looked at the watch situated there. The digital lights formed 6:47. He'd been working all day. He grabbed a bridle off the back wall and stepped out of the stall. He jogged quickly to the small store cupboard, placing the pitchfork in amongst the selection of shovels and other work tools they kept there. He shut the door and walked out to one of the farm's many fields. He vaulted over the fence and crossed to the small, dark mare which grazed amongst the cattle. He clicked his tongue and she looked up, over to him. As he began to walk over to her, she trotted serenely to him and paused beside him.

"How you doing girl?" He murmured into her ear, pausing to rub her neck and pat her flanks before slipping the bridle over her head. He took hold of the reins and led her across the field, towards the gate. As he looked up, preparing himself to open the gate he heard a whinny which definitely did not belong to the mare he held. His eyes scanned over the fence and he saw the tan face of Bandit staring back at him. Caitlin stood beside him, tying him to one of the fence posts. She looked over to the house and was about to cross over before the mare whinnied in reply to Bandit. Caitlin looked over at the mare, and saw Eric. She waved and Eric lifted his free hand in reply.

What's she doing here? He wondered, starting once more towards the gate. She met him there and held it open for him as he walked the mare through it.

"Not here to punch me again are you?" He asked warily, remaining on the opposite side of the mare as Caitlin walked with him towards the stable.

"No." She replied, smiling though she tried to stop herself.

Maybe she's here to kiss me again then. Thought Eric smirking. Caitlin's voice broke into his brief reverie.

"I need your help." He glanced over at Caitlin curiously as he led the mare into the stable.

"You need my help?" He stated, bewildered. He shut the stall door when he ensured the mare was safely inside with her muzzle tucked greedily into a bucket of oats. He turned back to Caitlin, still wary and not attempting to disguise it in his body language.

"You got the first one out of chivalry, but this is going to count as a favour you know." He grinned, leaning back against the wall.

"That's fine. I'll owe you a favour. I can cope with that." Replied Caitlin. Eric cocked his head to the side. Interesting. He laughed internally.

"So how can I help you?" He asked.

"You were invited to the house party at Mitch Warner's cabin right?" Eric's eyes widened and he almost fell over from his position against the wall.

"How'd you hear about that?" He asked, shocked.

"That's a yes then?"

"Yeah." Replied Eric cautiously. "But I'm not going." He added. "After punching Mark in the face I really don't want to sit around while he and his friends get drunk."

"I thought they were your friends too?" Quipped Caitlin innocently. Eric raised an eyebrow in response and stood straight, away from the wall. He stepped towards Caitlin and without realising Caitlin reacted by shifting and standing to her full height.

"They are." He replied coolly, stepping closer to her. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to risk being around them when they're drunk and there's only one of me to several of them."

"Not scared are you?" Asked Caitlin, her body language matching Eric's. She refused to back down and felt comfortable facing off with him. Intimidation matched intimidation, effectively cancelling each other out.

"Not scared, cautious." He corrected her. The two stood almost nose to nose now, and Caitlin caught Eric's gaze. Once more Eric felt himself being pulled into those two brown pools.

"Then you'll be able to help… Then you'll do me a favour." Caitlin corrected herself and her voice became softer. She stared pleadingly at Eric and he forced himself to break the gaze, looking down at the ground. Swirls of pink light decorated the otherwise barren floor, and Eric looked out the main stable door to see the sun setting behind the Montana hills.

"What did you want me to do?"

"Take me up to the cabin. I know you've been there before." Eric glanced back up at Caitlin.

"Why not ask Brett?"

"He'd never agree to it. That guy is too good for his own good."

"Is that a compliment or an insult to me?" Asked Eric.

"It's a compliment"

"You shouldn't know about those parties at all." Caitlin stared him down. "Don't worry, I don't think the adults know. But pretty much everyone in school knows that the football team and sometimes the cheerleaders head up to the mountains together every couple of months." Eric tried to stop himself reacting, but felt with unutterable disappointment, a pink blush spreading over his cheeks. He lifted his jaw. Only taller than Caitlin by a centimetre at most, he succeeded in making her have to look up to him, but the effect it had was nondescript. Caitlin bit her lip, trying in vain to stop herself laughing at him. She knew if she laughed and obviously pointed out that he was blushing there was no way that he would help her.

"I don't ever want to know what you've got up to up there, but if I can get some photos of Mark and Dan doing something embarrassing, it would be the ultimate revenge. Tremor might even publish them if I had a good story or even just a satirical caption to go with them."

"I want to get them back just as much as you do Caitlin, but I can't risk jeopardising all of them." Caitlin took a step back, a mixture of anger and hurt washing over her features.

"Jeopardising?" Here we go. Thought Eric.

"I'll only take you if you promise not to take any photos of any one else."He told her. "Some crazy stuff sometimes happens, and the others didn't do anything."

"It can't be all that crazy, I mean I've seen some…" Eric's raised eyebrows silenced her. "Seriously? You guys actually get wild? Where was I?"

"In places like High River," Eric explained. "Everyone knows everyone, and they're all good and moral. The adults would all be horrified and parents who know each other, are parents who can band together to punish us. You can't photograph the others." Eric's voice was cynical, but for this last phrase he was serious, his voice slowing and deepening.

"Okay I promise." Caitlin finally pacified him. Eric nodded and stepped towards her again, causing a faint shudder to run along Caitlin's spine, though she continued to stand tall and firm.

"We should go now." Said Eric, tilting his head and indicating the exit. "You ride Bandit back home and I'll follow in the truck. When we get there, you get in the truck with me and I'll drive you up there."

"Can I sit up front?" Asked Caitlin playfully. Eric realised after a beat that she was referring to the first time they'd met, and he'd made her sit in the back with the bikes.

"Yeah. You can sit up front." Nodded Eric. Caitlin once more stepped forward, her body pressing against Eric's. She put her lips beside his ear.

"Then let's go."

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Hope you enjoyed this! I'm back at school and have a LOT of work, so it may take me a while to post again.